The quality of her playing is as fine as ever and she performs with all her usual authority and skill.
Traditional folk music elevated to high art: that theme binds the unique coupling of Billboard chart-topping violinist Rachel Barton Pine’s latest release of the Violin Concertos by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak and Soviet-Armenian Aram Khachaturian. The multi-faceted young American Teddy Abrams conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, making for a truly international collaboration. “There are few more interesting violinists on the worldwide scene than Rachel Barton Pine; she is continuously giving us interesting and well-researched and thought-out concept albums that stimulate the imagination, reinvigorate the ears, and put wrinkles in the brain with their intellectual depth.” (Audiophile Audition)
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REVIEW:
Barton Pine's fusion of rock-solid yet scintillating technique is allied to brilliant musicianship as well as intelligent and stimulating programming. The quality of her playing is as fine as ever and she performs with all her usual authority and skill.
Bassist Josh Abrams' quartet embodies a devastating geographic cross section of today's free music. Abrams started in Philly's the Roots and went on to Chicago's Town And Country and the David Boykin Expanse. Quartet member Jeff Parker is well known for his work with Tortoise, Chicago Underground and his first album as leader, "Like-Coping" (DMK #543). Guillermo Gregorio's work spans a lifetime of improvised playing with Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jim O'Rourke and Anthony Braxton to name just a few. Axel Dorner's output as both free improvisor and composer cover multiple continents with John Butcher, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Mats Gustafsson.
